Lamar County, Mississippi

Lamar County Education, Geography, and History

Lamar County is a county located in the state of Mississippi. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 55,658. Its county seat is Purvis. Named for the post-Civil War Mississippi statesman Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, the county was carved out of Marion County to the west in 1904.

Lamar County is part of the Hattiesburg, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is largely a rural county, except for its northeast quarter.

Etymology - Origin of Lamar County Name

Lamar is named for US Secretary of the Interior Lucius Q.C. Lamar. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (September 17, 1825 - January 23, 1893) was an American politician and jurist from Mississippi. A United States Representative and Senator, he also served as United States Secretary of the Interior in the first administration of President Grover Cleveland, as well as an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Lamar County History

Lamar County was created March 13, 1904, from the second judicial district of Marion County and the northern part of Pearl River County. It received its name in honor of the great man and the Supreme Court Justice of the United States, L.Q.C. Lamar. Purvis is the county seat.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 500 square miles (1,296 km²), of which, 497 square miles (1,287 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (9 km²) of it (0.68%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Covington County (north)
• Forrest County (east)
• Pearl River County (south)
• Marion County (west)
• Jefferson Davis County (northwest)

Education

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